


Chris' Cave

by Jacie_popslash (Jacie)



Series: PopSlash: The Cave Series [1]
Category: NSYNC, Popslash
Genre: Alternate Universe, Camping, Future Fic, Hunting, M/M, Nature
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-12-18
Updated: 2003-12-18
Packaged: 2017-12-04 22:44:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 16
Words: 20,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/715931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacie/pseuds/Jacie_popslash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Primitive society where young men are thrown out of their clans once they show signs of becoming mature (or at least sexually mature). Five young men find each other and begin a bachelor clan of their own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **WARNINGS** : Contains implied rape & also underage sex. Justin and Lance are both under 18 in this fiction (14 & 16). As it has been shown that people were often married off and sexually active at the ages of 12-14 in some earlier societies, it doesn’t ring true to me that young men in a primitive society would remain celibate until they turned 18. If that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to think of them as being 18 and 20.
> 
>  **Notes** : This was my first foray into writing slash. It was intended to be a short story, but when I figured out I was still introducing the first main character (of the five) on page four, I kind of had an inkling it was quickly becoming a something longer. You may creatively set the time period as you please, and while many people may think of this as being in the past, I prefer to think of it as in the future. I think the characters are far more articulate than your average cave man was likely to have been...OR perhaps it takes place on a planet across the universe. Set it when & where you please.

Justin’s clan moved, but not often. They had been in their current location for months, almost a year. The leaders of the clan liked it and, more importantly, so did their wives. Justin liked it too, but for a different reason. He had found that he could climb into the rocks above the bathing hole the women of his clan used. From his niche, he could watch the women splash and bathe. He hadn’t quite figured out how he could see them and they couldn’t see him. It must be that they never looked up the rocky walls. If they looked up at all, the women must only be looking at the sky.

Today was one of his favorites. The sun was shining warmly and the sky was blue and nearly cloudless. Justin watched the girls, smiling. Almost subconsciously, his hand reached beneath his skins and he began to jerk off. A warm breeze washed across him as he licked his dry lips. Splashing sounds filled his ears as his eyelids dropped half shut. *Beautiful*, he thought, as a warmth spread throughout his body. Only one thing could ruin the moment for him. And it did.

A heavy hand fell onto Justin’s shoulder. His father’s hand. A nervous fear washed across him, causing his body to tremble. Another hand nestled into Justin’s matted, golden curls and he felt his body being abruptly tugged from his secret crevice. With his eyes dropping to the ground, Justin remained on his knees, cowering in the larger man’s shadow, knowing that if he looked up, or even stood up, his father would be within his rights to kill his son for being disrespectful and challenging him. 

That was how things worked. Boys were to be submissive to their elders until they were big enough, strong enough and old enough to win a challenge. Justin, with his boyishly rounded cheeks, inquisitive sparkling eyes and his slender, gangly build, was no match for any of the grown men. Although he loathed playing the submissive, he knew he had no choice, for now.

“Justin,” his father’s voice boomed. 

Justin was shaking, his father’s hands still restraining him. Nibbling at his lips, Justin remained quiet, except for swallowing loudly twice.

“You must leave.”

“But why? I was only looking,” Justin pouted. At that, his father released his hold, but only long enough to strike Justin’s cheek with enough force to drop the boy to the ground. Justin didn’t move. Lying in the dirt, he merely waited for the older man’s next move.

Once more, his father grasped Justin’s hair and yanked him back onto his knees. Footsteps sounded on the pathway. Justin’s curiosity got the better of him as he raised his head to see who was approaching. Another strike knocked him sideways, but this time he was able to catch himself on his hands, before his body dropped to the dirt.

“What has he done this time?” the newcomer asked.

“He is becoming a man. It is time for him to leave the clan.”

Tears welled hotly in Justin’s eyes. “No!” he shouted. It didn’t really matter what he did at this point, not if he was being kicked out of the group anyway. “Why do you want me to go?”

Anger flared in Justin’s father’s eyes. “Boy, it is time. You cannot stay with the clan forever. Will you take him from here?”

The newcomer nodded, “Yes.” Justin noticed a trace of sadness in the other man’s voice. “Will you take him back to the clan for ceremony?”

“No, he has,” the man paused, “he has matured. I found him up in the rocks fondling himself as he watched the girls bathe. He has spilled his seed watching them. He is not deserving the ceremony of manhood rites. I will keep him here while you gather supplies. You will speak of this to no one.”

Justin twisted his shoulder, trying to escape his father’s grasp, but failing.

“Stop struggling, child,” his father warned.

“Please let me say goodbye to my mother,” he begged, as tears left wet trails on his cheeks.

“Absolutely not. You have disrespected her and every other woman of the clan. You shall never gaze on them again. You know that if we see you again, we will kill you. You do know that, right?”

Swallowing again, Justin could only nod. Remaining on his knees, Justin stopped struggling and decided to accept his fate. There wasn’t anything else he could do. He had known the laws of the clan, one of which was that ‘no man shall spill his seed outside of his wives’. Since Justin had no wives, he was not allowed to spill his seed at all, which seemed awfully unfair to him, mostly because he enjoyed it so much. 

Deep inside he always knew this day would come, the day he was made to leave the protection of the clan. The men who started the clan had made all the laws and rules that they were to live by. One rule was that no maiden was to be taken by any man except her husband. Another was that no man could claim a maiden as his wife, unless the group agreed to the union. The men could also have as many wives as they desired and could care for. Justin’s father had five wives. The older men were well known to keep all the females around and wed them to another clan member and sometimes they even bartered with other clans to bring in new blood, new wives. 

The young men of the clan though, were discarded. If they lived by the laws of the clan, they would eventually go through the ceremony of manhood rites, wherein they were declared men and congratulated by everyone in the clan. The next day they would be given supplies and sent on their way. Usually by the time they began to grow facial hair, they were declared men and sent away. 

Then there were the deviants, like Justin. Generally, they just disappeared. No one was to ask what happened or why the boys disappeared. The women liked to gossip though and would often try to figure out what had happened, why the men sent one of the boys off. Mostly it was pure speculation, but sometimes a man let the reason slip to his wife and she told all the other women in the clan. Most often, the reason was that a young man had attempted to mate with a maiden or asked to take a wife. Young men of the clan never got to take wives. The women always went to the same sixteen men who had begun the clan. The young men were just sent away whenever they began to show a desire for women.

Justin sniffled, and tried to stop the stream of tears, but failed. He had been very close to his mother. She was the only person he felt he could trust and he had trusted her more than he probably should have. If his father knew about the conversations Justin and his mother had had, he probably would have sent Justin away and killed his mother. Closing his eyes, Justin longed to at least say goodbye to her. She had been his rock for fourteen years. She had risked herself by allowing him to ask her about questions about life, about his body, and not telling his father about it. He now knew why. Had his mother told his father about their conversations, his father would have sent him off on his own even earlier. Sometime last year, to be sure. Clearly, his mother had been protecting him.

Minutes passed before the other man returned. Dropping his packs, the man reached into one and removed a hood, which he placed over Justin’s head. Instinctively, Justin struggled. The dark hood was made of animal skin, instantly blocking his sight and making it difficult to breathe. His father had released his hair so the hood could be put into place. Instead, Justin felt a heavy foot step onto his calf to hold him down, while a fist connected with his jaw. Lashing out, Justin blindly fought to free himself. He couldn’t breathe. It felt as though his heart was going to beat hard enough to escape his chest.

“Stop this nonsense Justin. You are a man now, you should act like one. Accept your fate.”

The other man spoke with a softer voice, “It will be easier on you if you don’t struggle.”

So Justin stilled himself and waited. The other men brought his wrists together before him, lashing them together. The older men spoke softly, conferring, their words muffled by the hood. It wasn’t long before they set him onto his feet and he felt a tug at his wrists. Justin forced his legs to move, allowing himself to be led away from the clan.


	2. Chapter 2

For two days, Justin was led along, with a hood covering his eyes and his hands bound. The man from the clan didn’t speak to him. When darkness came, the hood was removed long enough for Justin to eat some dried meat, then replaced before he went to sleep. 

On the third morning, the pair stopped. The clansman sat Justin down and removed the hood. “Justin, you must now fend for yourself, but you may have these items.” Then man dropped a pouch before Justin. “There are flint stones, a knife, a little food and cord in there. I’ll also leave you a water pouch.”

“Thanks,” Justin frowned.

“You should be thankful, boy. He could have given you nothing. The clan has sent young men away with no supplies at all. He could have taken your skins back. You really should be thankful that your mother is a favorite of his wives and you are a favorite of her children. You should be thankful you are being sent out in the early season, when the weather is mild and the game is plenty.”

Justin dropped his eyes to the ground and nodded.

The man held a pouch to the youth’s mouth and placed his other hand behind Justin’s head, urging, “Drink this.”

“What is it?” Justin failed to keep the childlike whine out of his voice or prevent his body from backing up. Tales of poisonous potions circled in his thoughts, tormenting him, taunting him.

“Boy, you must drink it, or I am to slit your throat. It will only put you to sleep for a short time. I will untie your hands before I leave you, so you will be free when you awaken. You must not seek the clan again, boy. If we see you again, we will slit your throat. Understand?”

Justin nodded and allowed the man to tilt the liquid into his mouth. It burned as it slid down his throat. Almost immediately, his eyelids shut and his body relaxed. Gently, the man’s hands lowered Justin’s body to the ground and the bindings were removed. It almost felt like a dream to Justin. His body felt heavy and he couldn’t move even though he knew his hands were free. Then he drifted into unconsciousness.

When he woke, the sun was high in the sky and his head pounded. After rolling over, he allowed himself to drift back into sleep. Then next time he awoke, he pondered what he should do. As he took inventory of his skills, he found only three: gathering firewood, building a fire and jerking off. At this time of the day, it was too warm to really need a fire. After exploring his third option, he decided this ‘being on his own’ thing wasn’t all that bad. Digging around in the pouch, Justin found the dried meat he had been left and ate a small portion. He wasn’t stupid. He knew it wouldn’t last long. Then he drank from the water pouch. That wouldn’t last long either.

The next morning, he set out to find water. It was another full day before he found any. That turned out to be a blessing of sorts though. Once he spotted all the tracks on the river’s banks, he realized that edible game also needed water. Hiding in the brush near the water’s edge, Justin tried to lasso game, leap on game and even tried throwing his knife at it. He caught no game, but almost lost his knife in the river. Twice. Well, more like four times. 

Cool air flowed across the lands as the sun fell, causing Justin to seek higher ground where he could build a fire. He wasn’t successful at that either. It had gotten too dark before it occurred to him to clear out a good spot, gather his firewood and build the fire. He hadn’t managed a fire or a successful hunt since he was on his own. The supply of dried meat had only lasted two days and that was only because he had rationed it. Now he was cold and hungry.

For days he ambled around, attempting to kill an animal. Out of fear or self-preservation, he never wandered far from the river. Two weeks after being on his own and subsisting on anything he could find to eat, mostly grasses, berries and bark, Justin was weak, tired and dejected. Today he had found a herd of antelope and was attempting a capture. What he didn’t realize was that he was being watched himself.


	3. Chapter 3

“What the hell?” wondered a dark-haired man, shaking his head in disbelief. “Absolutely deranged.”

Joey couldn’t respond to Chris’ comments. He was too busy trying to suppress his laughter. They were watching a boy attempting to hunt. At least they thought that’s what he was trying to do. At the moment he was walking through the field speaking in soft tones to the wild game. They eyed him curiously, but bounded away before he ever got very close.

“He is going to scare off all the game for miles! We are just going to have to do something about this.”

“C’mon Chris, he’s cute.”

Chris grinned lasciviously, “You want to take him home, too, eh?”

Joey winked and the pair crept stealthily toward the field, coming in behind Justin. The young blond’s attention was totally captured by the antelopes before him, so he never heard the rustling in the brush behind him. All he knew was that he was suddenly knocked off his feet. He couldn’t see anything, but he felt bindings all around him as he struggled.

“Woo hoo! A capture!” Joey yelled cheerfully.

“Yep, it’s a big one too,” Chris smiled.

They didn’t speak to their captive, but left him tangled and struggling in their net, suspended from a tree branch. They then left in search of something to hunt themselves. It wasn’t long before Justin was yelling, pleading for his release. It was to no avail, his captors had left him and were apparently out of hearing range. By the time the two hunters had returned, Justin had exhausted himself and was lying calmly, unmoving.

“Do you think it’s dead?” Chris wondered, poking a stick through the netting. “It’s not moving.”

Joey only chuckled.

Working in tandem, they freed Justin from the netting. First they bound his hands together, then bound his ankles together. Chris continued to poke at his arms, legs and ribs. 

“I think it must be dead,” he insisted. “There’s no response.” Chris frowned. Although he liked his meals to be in the deceased category, he liked his toys to have a bit more life in them. This unresponsive boy was becoming a disappointment.

“It’s not dead,” Joey promised. “It’s just in shock from being captured. I’m sure it’ll be fine tomorrow, then you can play with it all you want.”

They ran a pole between his legs, then between his arms and hoisted him into the air. They had trekked quite a distance before Justin became aware of his surroundings again. He was being carried upside-down, strapped to a pole. Well, not quite. His wrists and ankles were bound and the pole ran between them. But he was definitely being carried upside-down. Turning his head slightly, he could see that there was a dead antelope hanging beside him, being carried in a similar fashion.

*I’m in hell*, Justin thought, trying to lick his lips, but his mouth was dry and he was being seriously jostled. His arms and legs hurt from being used to support his weight in such an unusual manner. Craning his neck about, he was able to see that he was being carried between two dark haired men. The shorter man was leading and the taller man behind him. They supported the two poles between them, each supporting one pole per shoulder and carrying the weight of Justin and the antelope between them. Justin kept his mouth shut, but was certain there were better modes of transportation, like allowing him to walk on his own two legs rather than being carried wherever like a kill from a hunt.

Chris and Joey dropped their load a couple times on the way back, setting their game down to take a breather. Chris couldn’t seem to resist poking Justin or nudging him with a foot. Joey just grinned or laughed.

“Jace is going to be mad if you bruise that.”

Chris grinned back, “Why would he even care? You’re not planning to eat it, are you?”

Justin closed his eyes tightly and swallowed. Silently, he cursed his father again and again. In the short time since he had been on his own, he realized just how unprepared he was to take on the world by on his own. Thinking back, he tried to remember if he had ever spoken to a person who was not a member of his clan, but he couldn’t remember. The men of the clan were the ones who would barter for trades with strangers while the women kept an eye on the camp and the children. Now he had been captured and was tied up and helpless in the hands of two captors who may or may not be serious about eating him.

Late in the afternoon, they began taking a path ascending into the mountains. It was nearly dark by the time they stopped. Justin and the antelope were unceremoniously dropped to the ground as Joey and Chris huffed from the exertion of carrying the load up the mountain. Justin couldn’t stop himself from allowing an ‘ompf’ to escape as he landed heavily on his back.

A new voice had giggled, then asked, “What on earth have you guys brought back?”

“A blond headed trouble maker, I do believe,” Chris noted proudly.

“Untie him, you jerks.”

“He was scaring off all the game,” Chris whined back. “He was walking in a field of antelopes and hares, talking to them, like asking them to walk up to him and drop dead so he could have dinner. He’s absolutely deranged.”

“Or at the very least, the worst hunter ever,” Joey added.

“Un. Tie. Him. Now,” demanded the new voice, unswayed.

“Joey said I could play with him tomorrow.”

“Chris!”

Justin remained limp as he felt his arms being lifted while his wrists were unbound. Before his arms were released and allowed to drop freely, he also felt two more hands untying the bindings around his ankles. 

“Bring him over here.”

Justin’s eyes remained tightly shut, but he liked the new voice. 

Then he felt Chris poking his ribs again. “I bet it’s tasty.”

Joey laughed, “I bet it’s tough and stringy.”

“You two are terrible. It’s no wonder you’ve frightened Lance to death.”

“Well, now he has a playmate.”

Justin felt himself being moved. Between the crackling sound and the warming temperature, he surmised he was being moved near a fire. Then gentle fingers threaded through his hair.

“Are you awake?” the voice asked. “You are safe, I promise you. Those two are really quite harmless.”

Justin swallowed and opened his eyes. Before him was a tall, thin man with long hair curling near his neck. The eyes that looked down at him were a sparkly silver blue. Kind eyes. Friendly.

“My name is Jace. Joey and Chris are the fearless hunters who captured you. They’re nice enough, just a bit odd. You can sleep now, you seem tired.”

Justin closed his eyes again and felt Jace cover him with a heavy fur.


	4. Chapter 4

When Justin awoke a couple hours later, Jace grinned his way and waved him over. Chris, Joey and Jace were seated on logs near the fire where fresh meat was cooking. From the smell, it was most likely bits of the antelope. Justin approached slowly. During his years in the clan, he knew to always approach an adult male submissively, unless he wanted to be beat down. As he stood, Justin wrapped the fur around his shoulders to fend off the chilling air. His eyes wandered over faces that were illuminated by the firelight.

Jace spoke first, “Are you hungry?”

Justin nodded.

“What’s your name?”

“Justin,” he managed meekly.

“In case you don’t remember, I’m Jace and that’s Chris and that’s Joey. And Lance is,” Jace paused, “Lance is around. You’ll meet him later. Maybe tomorrow.”

Chris leaned over, close enough that Justin could feel Chris’ breath on his ear, “Lance is completely deranged. Kind of like you. Completely. Nuts.”

“Chris! Sit!” Jace commanded. Although he rolled his eyes, Chris obeyed. As Justin began to wonder who was really in charge, Jace caught his attention. “So Justin, how did you come to be wandering around all alone?”

Licking his lips, Justin quietly let one word slip out, “Thirsty.” He hadn’t drank anything since early in the morning, as Joey and Chris hadn’t offered him anything since they had captured him.

“Oh, of course.” Jace leapt to his feet and soon returned with a water pouch. “You must be hungry and thirsty. How long has it been since you’ve eaten?”

“I’ve eaten.”

“Today?”

“Um, some berries earlier.”

“When did you last eat meat?”

“A few days ago. They gave me some dried meat when they left me alone.”

“Who?”

“My clan.”

Joey and Chris grinned at each other, “He’s of age,” they giggled.

Jace shut them up with a glance. “What happened?”

“My father said it was time for me to go and they led me away from the clan for two days then left me there. Where are you guys from? Where is your clan?”

“We’re what you might call a bachelor tribe. We were all kicked out too. Chris is the oldest. This is really his home, his cave. Then while he was out hunting, he came across Joey and attacked him.”

“He was hunting in my area,” Chris elaborated.

“I couldn’t take him seriously,” Joey added. “He was half my size and trying to take me down. I couldn’t help but laugh. He fights well on his feet, but once I knocked his weapons from his hands and took him down, he was helpless. I just laid on top of him.”

“So we decided to become friends instead.”

Jace grinned, “The truth is, when Chris realized he couldn’t push Joey off, he leaned up and kissed him. Joey couldn’t help but laugh his ass off. So they teamed up together. I’m an anomaly, so they rescued me. My clan had sold me to another clan. I was lower class to them, a slave. I had to walk behind the clan. I met these two at a water hole and they stole me. I don’t think the clan minded. I don’t think they even came after us at all. I don’t mind though. They weren’t very nice to me.”

“So now you’re *our* slave,” Joey teased. “Don’t worry about being kicked out, kid. Most clans kick out their young men before they start challenging the older men and taking all the women. Except for Jace, who was sold by his clan for being an anomaly. And Lance. He left on his own.”

“He’s nuts. Completely off,” Chris inserted.

“May I ask you something?” Justin timidly glanced at Jace. 

“Sure, sweetie.”

“What’s an anomaly?”

“I didn’t take to hunting and fighting. I was close to my mother, so I learned cooking and sewing just from being around her. I like it better anyway. But it’s not manly enough, you know. Not that it matters. If I had learned to hunt, they would have kicked me out anyway. I prefer. I prefer looking at the men, rather than the women. They say it’s unnatural. Since I’m an anomaly, an embarrassment, they sold me to another clan as a slave. I had to work really hard and they were never nice to me. They only allowed me to eat the scraps leftover from their meals. If there were no leftovers, then I was allowed to be hungry. And they made me do all the work, it seems, for the whole clan. Like They made me haul water for everyone and repair all the clothes and tents and help cook meals for everyone. They made me work from sunrise until they were all asleep, then they bound me at night, so I wouldn’t run away. I don’t know if I would have,” Jace mused. “I hated it, but I can’t hunt, so I couldn’t survive on my own. I’m completely useless at catching game, but I can clean and cook it. Speaking of which, I do believe dinner is done, boys.”

Joey leaned forward and pulled meat off the branch it was cooking on. He placed portions onto broad leaves and passed them to Justin, Jace and Chris. Then he grabbed a hunk and set it aside for a minute while he prepared a meal for himself. Once the chunk of meat at his side had cooled just a bit, Joey picked it up and yelled, ‘heads up’, before lofting it behind a nearby rock. Justin’s eyes widened when the meat was tossed, but figured it was just some odd ritual Joey and Chris had developed. Before the meat dropped though, a hand reached up and snagged it from the air. Justin’s eyes widened even more.

“That’s Lance,” Jace said, as if that explained everything.

Chris’ breath was warm in Justin’s ear, “Completely. Nuts.”

Justin shifted, scooting closer to Jace and further away from Chris. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he asked, “What is his deal? This Lance.”

“We don’t really know much about him. These two managed to track him and capture him a few weeks ago. We thought he had been kicked out by some clan, but he said he left. He won’t say why. He doesn’t say much. He’s afraid of staying in the cave and these two,” Jace waved his arm, indicating, Joey and Chris, “frightened him to death his first night here. He’s totally traumatized. He won’t come out except when they’re gone hunting. Then he’ll come out and sit with me. He still doesn’t talk much.”

Chris grinned wickedly. “You’re not afraid of caves, are you, boy?”

“What’s a cave?”


	5. Chapter 5

After the meal, Jace cleaned up the area, as Chris and Joey entered the cave, lighting a small fire near the entrance. Justin chose to remain with Jace, still unsure about Joey and Chris. 

“Lance? Do you need anything?” Jace called. There was no answer, but Justin saw a bit of blond hair pop up over the rim of rock and two eyes that glowed back in their direction. “Are you warm enough? Need more food?” Still there was no answer. Jace wrapped all the cooked meat and brought it into the cave for storage. Justin helped carry things in. The cave wasn’t very large. There were some items, including food, weapons and hunting gear, stored in the back, a fire near the entrance and in between were two large piles of furs, one on either side of the cave. They were maybe ten feet apart. Chris’ head was visible in the pile to the left and Joey was obviously ensconced in the pile to the right. 

Chris grinned, patting his furs. “Come here, woman. You’re mine tonight.”

Jace began removing his skins, glancing at Justin. “He’ll need some furs to sleep on tonight.”

Joey grinned, “Nonsense. Come here, boy.” He patted the furs beside him.

“Hey!” Chris cried. “You said I could play with him tomorrow!”

“Yeah?” Joey chuckled. “I never said I wasn’t going to play with him first, bison snot.”

Shaking his head, Jace warned, “You two will have him scared enough to sleep in the rocks with Lance, if you keep it up.” 

Joey and Chris just laughed. Then Joey offered again, “Come on, Justin. I’m not going to do anything to you. It’s perfectly safe.”

Justin shot a nervous glance at Jace, who was climbing under the furs with Chris, then he glanced at Joey, who had thrown the furs back to invite him in. “Come on, boy,” Joey urged.

Taking a deep breath, Justin thought about removing his skins, as Jace had, but then thought better of it. He had never shared furs with anyone before and was unsure. Joey only smiled as Justin climbed in still fully clothed. Justin laid down facing Joey and allowing as much empty space between them as possible.

“Why did they really throw you out of the clan?” Joey asked softly. 

“My father said I was a man and had to leave.”

“I’m not buying that, junior. Clans don’t declare you a man until you start growing a beard.” Joey lifted his hand to cup Justin’s cheek. “You’re nowhere near growing a beard, boy. Tell the truth, what did you do that was so bad that they threw you out? Did you try to bed a maiden or what?”

Justin gulped, then whispered back, “I found a spot where I could watch the maidens bathe and I liked to watch them.”

Joey leaned closer to Justin. “Was watching all you did? Honestly?”

“I would touch myself and my father caught me spilling my seed. In my clan, you can only spill your seed into your wife. I have no wife, therefore I broke the law and he sent me away in disgrace.”

Justin could feel Joey’s lips move as he spoke, “You can spill your seed all you want to around here, boy. I’m not going to hurt you, Justin, I promise.”

Justin felt Joey scooting closer to him, so he tried rolling over. Across the cave from him he could see Jace and Chris in the dying firelight. Chris was on top of Jace and they were shifting subtly beneath the furs and making the sorts of noises Justin’s father made when he was mating with one of his wives. Justin watched with his eyes wide for a couple minutes, before he rolled away again, right into Joey’s arms. 

“Let me go,” he whispered, attempting to escape.

Joey’s restrained him with strong arms. “I told you, I am not going to hurt you. Just settle down.”

Fear shook Justin’s frame as Joey’s arms encircled him. “Jace performs all the tasks of a woman for us, including allowing us to bed him. We share him, Chris and me. It’s all good.”

“He’s a man.”

“He’s an anomaly,” Joey corrected. It was the way Jace liked to describe himself, so Joey and Chris humored him by using it, as if an anomaly was another breed of animal and Jace just happened to be one. “Before we got Jace, Chris and I slept together. We were both sent away from our clans when we reached manhood. We get along and between us, we have no problem hunting down plenty of food. When you reach manhood though, Justin, you have a need to mate with others. It doesn’t matter if you bed a man or a woman. The only thing Jace can’t do is give birth. And really, what’s the point? A small group can’t survive because of inbreeding and we couldn’t house a large group up here in the cave. Most clans travel all the time, Justin, to keep up with game and the weather, but we stay here all the time. The cave protects us and there are three rivers and two lakes within a day’s walk. There is plenty of game year round, so no reason to leave. It’s perfect as long as we don’t have too many people up here. Chris and I, we like each other, but it’s nice to have other people around. And Jace was a godsend. Neither Chris or I can cook very well, or properly make clothing. Jace is great, really. And he’s a great lay. He’s the perfect woman. But we talked and agreed we had more room, enough room to bring other bachelors in. When we found Lance, he was so lost, like you. We were tracking you. Did you even know?”

“No,” Justin admitted.

“You were scaring off all our game. We had to take you down before we could actually hunt anything successfully ourselves. Lance wasn’t hunting when we found him. He was just wandering around, looking lost. But he was also scaring the game away, so we caught him and brought him back. He won’t come in the cave, but he doesn’t leave either. We feed him. After we come inside, he sleeps in front of our cooking fire, if it’s chilly.”

“Are you going to make me be the other woman?”

Joey laughed. “Not unless you want to be, sweetie. It’s obvious that you can’t hunt worth shit. Is there anything you can do? Other than jerk off watching maidens bathe?”

Finally Justin allowed himself to relax a little. “After they sent me away, I realized how unprepared I was. My father never took me hunting. The men who started the clan, they do all the hunting. All I ever really did was to haul firewood and water. I was around if my mother needed anything heavy moved.”

“Did you ever actually bed a woman?”

Glancing over his shoulder, Justin could see the darkened forms of Chris and Jace. They had quieted, but were all wrapped up in each other. “No.”

“Ever kiss anyone?”

Justin’s breath began to come in short bursts. He could only shake his head. The furs were suddenly beginning to feel heavy and warm. Joey’s arms wrapped around him, preventing him from backing away any further. “I’m not going to hurt you, Justin. Relax.”

Justin’s lips quivered as Joey pressed against them. Justin raised his hands to Joey’s chest, intending to push him away. Unlike Justin, Joey was naked. His skin was warm against Justin’s palms and covered with a thin sheen of sweat. With the tightening squeeze of a boa constrictor, Joey drew Justin to him, until Justin could feel his heart pounding. Justin was beginning to enjoy the pressure of Joey’s lips when he felt Joey’s tongue along his lips. Panic caused his eyes to open wide and he pushed away from Joey as hard as he could. Not that it did any good.

“It’s okay,” Joey assured him. “Do you want me to make you feel really good?”

“Um.” Justin was curious, but unsure. Again he allowed his arms to relax and Joey pulled him in closer once more.

Lips brushed against his and Joey’s hand began to rub his hip. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you,” Joey assured him. “Not going to hurt you. Going to make you feel real good. Relax.”

Closing his eyes, Justin tried his best to relax. He did want to feel good, so he let Joey’s hand roam across his hips, then under his skins. 

“How about we get rid of this?” Joey questioned, tugging on the skins Justin had worn to bed. Justin shook his head and batted Joey’s hand away. “Okay, you can keep it on if you want.”

Working patiently, Joey started again with soft kisses, distracting Justin with his tongue, while his hand slipped beneath Justin’s apparel, rubbing on his thigh. Justin felt that Joey was hard, rubbing against his leg. Nervousness clawed at his heart, but so far, Joey was making him feel pretty good and he had promised not to hurt him. A soft gasp escaped him as Joey’s hand closed around Justin’s hard on and began stroking him slowly, allowing the heat to build. Justin’s hips began thrusting on their own as Joey began stroking him faster. Justin moaned, but the sound was swallowed by Joey, whose tongue was still pressing into Justin’s mouth. His mind was swept back to the sunny days he spent hiding in the rocks watching the girls bathe. Joey was right, he did feel good. Really good. 

After Joey began sucking on Justin’s tongue, neither of them lasted much longer. Justin came first, then Joey soon followed, rubbing against Justin’s leg. Afterward, Joey pulled Justin close, settling the younger man’s head on his chest. “Was it good, baby?”

A sated sigh escaped from Justin as he snuggled closer, “Yes, so good. Is that what Jace and Chris were doing?”

“Not exactly, but you’re not ready for that, yet.” Bending his head slightly, Joey brushed a kiss across Justin’s forehead.


	6. Chapter 6

In the morning, Chris and Joey ambled down to their bathing hole together, leaving Justin with Jace. Normally Joey, Chris and Jace all bathed together, but this morning Joey and Chris wanted to chat privately and Jace had been with them long enough to read their moods.

“So, did you bed him?” Chris asked.

With a grin, Joey replied, “Not exactly.”

“You smell like sex.”

“I think he wants to play.”

“More fun than Lance?”

“Definitely!” Joey roared. “Gentle stuff, Chris, I didn’t want to scare him. We talked a bit. He’s never even been kissed before, or at least not before last night. The only thing he ever did was jerk off and his father caught him and that’s why they made him leave. Rules of his clan.”

“Yeah, I know that tune. As soon as the elders realize you’re after their women, you’re out of there. Too dangerous to have a cute young thing like Justin vying for the girls’ attention against a bunch of old men.”

“Something like that. So I kissed him and jerked him off. He seemed to enjoy it. He was nervous at first, but after we finished, he snuggled up against me.” Joey began laughing again, “He actually asked him if we were going to make him be the other woman.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him no, only if that’s what he wanted, then asked what he could do. His clansmen are real jerks, you know? They didn’t even teach him how to hunt. He said he’s never been on a hunt. And although he has watched his mother skin game and prepare meals, he’s never done it himself. The only thing they let him do is haul heavy loads for the women. He said he hauls water and wood. That’s it. That’s all they taught him before they sent him off on his own.”

“Bastards. The least they could do is give them a chance.”

“They don’t want them to get stronger and come back to challenge them.”

“But they are condemning them to near certain death, sending boys off without knowing how to hunt or how to prepare game. He’s lucky it wasn’t winter. Jace said he hadn’t caught any game since he was left on his own and was getting by only by eating berries and bark. He’d been on his own for at least a couple of weeks. Jace said Justin’s father told him not to come back to the clan, because they will kill him if they see him again. He said he remembers three of the other young men who had been sent away, only to return to beg for food and shelter from the clan. Justin told Jace that the men of the clan killed all the boys who came back. Slit their throats and left them to die out in front of everyone, as a warning. Said Justin has no doubt that they would kill him if they ever see him again. I understand they don’t want the boys around to challenge them, but shit Joey, if they would teach them to take care of themselves, they wouldn’t need to come back begging for food and shelter. It just doesn’t make any sense. I mean, they may as well kill every male child as soon as it’s born, you know?”

“Yeah.”

“So you think he’d be into it? He seems to like Jace.”

“With our luck, he’ll wind up with Jace and you and me will be stuck together again.”

Chris slapped his hand on the water, sending a spray across Joey, “It wasn’t all that bad, was it?”

Swimming over, Joey caught Chris in a headlock and dunked him below the surface twice. “No, man, not all that bad, but you know we both like to be on top. We’d only fight about it. At least Jace knows his place and enjoys it. I don’t know about Justin. He’s a little frightened, but he’s curious, too. I think as long as we take it really slow and gentle with him, he’ll be fine. He said in his clan, young males are taught to be completely submissive to older males. He said he did it, but he hated it.”

“He’s so young. Younger than Lance or Jace.”

“Pretty too. Doesn’t really have a clue what he’s doing, but he wasn’t bad for his first time. I think he’ll really be quite _enjoyable_ , if we can teach him right and not frighten him. You know, like you frightened Lance.”

“Joey! That was so not my fault. The dude is a total freak. And it’s not like you weren’t right there, too.”

“So with Justin, you want to take him the same way as Lance and see if he freaks out?”

A sly grin crept across Chris’ face as he swam beside Joey, licking his ear as he whispered, “I’m taking care of that as we speak. I told Jace to talk to the kid, befriend him. Find out what he’s into and if he might want to play and see what he’s sort of up for. Jace knows about this shit. Once he talks to Justin, he can tell us the best way to take him. The problem with Lance is, we didn’t listen to Jace.”

“And Jace is too much of a woman to have pulled us off him.”

“Exactly! All Jace’s fault!” 

Another slap sent more water Joey’s way. Joey retaliated by circling his arms around Chris and pulling him under the water in a crocodile’s death spin. Chris squirmed and wiggled until he escaped and came to the surface gasping and laughing. Once Joey came to the surface, Chris dove below, swimming between Joey’s legs, then coming up behind him and pulling him into a headlock. The pair laughed and played for an hour before they struggled out of the water and lay down on a flat sun-drenched rock for a mid-morning nap. Joey was stretched out on the rock and Chris was using him as a pillow.

Hours later they woke, stretched, ate some of the meat Jace had sent with them then Joey shoved Chris back into the water and they played for another hour before dragging themselves out and filling the water pouches to haul back up the mountain for Jace. Of course, after that, they decided to leap back into the water to play some more. As long as they made it back before nightfall, they should be fine. And if Jace needed water before that, they reasoned, he could walk his ass down the mountain to get it himself.


	7. Chapter 7

When Justin opened his eyes, he found himself alone in the cave. The fire at the opening had gone out and he shivered once he rolled out from underneath the furs. Adjusting his skins, he noticed that he felt sticky, then his thoughts rolled across Joey, Joey’s lips, Joey’s hands and Joey’s tongue. A smile captured Justin’s mouth as he sighed. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Justin stumbled from the cave opening to the cooking fire outside. Jace was rummaging around and chatting, while Lance sat on a log chewing on something, at least until he saw Justin. Then his eyes widened and he leapt behind his favorite rock. Jace watched him dive into hiding then turned to Justin with a smile.

“Good morning. How did you sleep?”

“Good.” Justin’s eyes searched for Lance, who remained hidden. 

“Hungry? I saved some food for you.”

“Where’s Joey and Chris?”

“They went to bathe and get water. They won’t be back for hours.”

“Hours?”

Jace shrugged, “That’s how they are. We have food, so they don’t need to hunt today. Have a seat.”

“What about Lance?” Justin wondered.

Jace dropped his voice, “Sit down and I’ll get him back out here. Just don’t make any sudden moves or talk too loudly around him. Something really frightened that boy and Chris and Joey are just no help. They’re good hearted and all, but they’re both so rambunctious and loud. I can’t get them to behave around Lance. But if you can move slowly and keep your voice down, maybe he’ll be okay with you. All we can do is try.”

Justin obliged by sitting and allowing Jace to serve him. After getting more food and ambling around, Jace called to Lance to come back out, “Come out and meet Justin. He’ll be nice to you. He’s about your age, sweetie. Come on out.” Leaning closer to Justin, Jace whispered, “Don’t look at him at first, don’t watch him. You’ll get farther with him by ignoring him until he’s more comfortable around you.”

After a couple minutes, Justin heard Lance creeping quietly back to the fire. 

“Sit,” Jace commanded.

Lance looked around, panicked. Justin was too close to his favored spot, the one close enough to his rock for him to quickly dive for cover. Lance walked back and forth, like a caged animal, trying to figure out the next best place to sit, where he wouldn’t be too close to Justin. Justin even heard Lance whimper a little, like he really wanted to ask Justin to move, but couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Without looking up, Justin quietly asked, “Should I move and let him sit here?”

Behind him, Lance quickened his pacing and nodded profusely at Jace.

“Goodness, no, Justin. You’re fine right there. Lance, sweetie, come over here and sit.” Jace reached out his hand.

Lance looked around, but eventually stepped forward, gingerly taking Jace’s proffered hand and allowing himself to be led to another seat. This one was across from Justin.

“Hi Lance,” Justin offered softly. “I’m Justin.”

Lance looked at him and chewed his food, but didn’t speak. For the first time, Justin got a good look at Lance. His body was a bit chunky, squarely built and his face had the same rounded boyishness as Justin’s. Lance was still young, too. His hair was also blond, but was long and straight, rather than curly like Justin’s or wavy like Jace’s. What really struck Justin was Lance’s eerily green eyes and his pale skin. Being that it was summer and everyone spent their time outdoors, Justin was used to seeing everyone with sun-kissed skin, turning into golden tans, but Lance’s skin was as pale as moonlight.

Undecided whether Lance would ever respond to his inquiries, Justin turned back to Jace, “How long has Lance been with you guys?”

“Not long,” Jace shrugged, sitting down between Lance and Justin. “A few weeks.”

“But he stays outside?”

“Yeah. For now. When it starts getting cold out, he’s going to have to come inside. He’ll come just to the entrance if it’s raining hard. You can’t be outside when it snows, baby,” Jace informed Lance.

“What about you?”

“I’ve been with Joey and Chris, hmmm,” Jace’s eyes searched the sky, as if he’d left the answer hanging on a cloud. “I’d think close to two years. They were together about two years before they got me. And I think Chris was on his own, maybe three years before he met Joey. Joey was on his own for a few months before he met Chris. Chris said his clan likes to stay put as long as they can. They were camped near here for a long time and he discovered the cave. When they kicked him out, he came straight here and made it his home. Chris is smart, really. He knew they would eventually kick him out of his clan, so he started stashing stuff up here. All those weapons and tools, we have bowls, skins, furs and pouches. He kept sneaking out with stuff and stashing it up here. When they kicked him out, they were almost doing him a favor really. But he got lonely, until he found Joey. Chris said he was thinking about stealing a maiden from some clan, but it’s easier to find another guy and Chris doesn’t really want to have kids of his own. He said he aggravated his clan to no end and they almost kicked out Chris and his mother, but she never had another son. Her first husband, Chris’ father, was killed on a hunt, but another man took her as his wife. Chris is the oldest of her children, but the next six or seven were all girls and weren’t nearly as rambunctious or troublesome as Chris always was. Joey has siblings too, I guess his sisters are all still with the clan, but he had brothers who had already been sent away.”

“And you were bartered into slavery by your clan, then Chris and Joey stole you.”

Jace chuckled, “I was bartered away for furs. They even dressed me as a woman. I think they may have even sold me as a woman, I don’t know. It was all weird. When I saw Joey and Chris at the water hole, I thought it was just a coincidence. They asked me what I did and why I seemed to do the work of ten others, so we talked while I filled the water pouches for the clan then Joey and Chris asked if I’d like to go with them. They told me later that they had been watching my clan for days, so they knew the routine. They had seen how I was treated. They simply asked if I would like to leave and offered to take me with them. They just like to say things like they stole me. They like to sound all brave and chivalrous. But the truth is, I just agreed to leave with them and they agreed to take care of me, if I took care of them, just cooking and mending, basically the stuff they had no clue about. I’m happy with them. Very happy.”

“Do you have siblings?”

“Yes, of course. I have sisters that I was close to. I had brothers too, they were all hunters. I’m the one who didn’t fit my clan. I was the one they sent away.” Jace sighed sadly. “What about you, Justin? Any brothers or sisters?”

“Yes, lots. I couldn’t even tell you. My father has five wives. I must have at least twenty siblings. Some of them have gone away. Some died. Some of my brothers were sent away and some of my sisters were bartered into marriage with other clans. I can’t keep track of them all. What about you, Lance?”

Lance never looked up, not until Jace asked him, “Lance, sweetie, did you have any brothers or sisters?”

“Um, yes,” Lance answered softly. “I had a sister, but she died and my mother, she is also dead along with another child. My father, he has also died. More recently. A while ago. Before I left.”

Justin’s mouth had dropped open. Lance had the deepest voice he had ever heard.

“Is that why you left? Your family was dead?”

Dropping his eyes to the ground, Lance only shook his head no and sniffled.

Jace reached over, placing an arm around Lance’s shoulder, pulling him close. “It’s okay, sweetie. We can be your family. We’ll take care of you.”


	8. Chapter 8

After the morning meal, Justin asked for enough water to wash up a bit then pleaded with Jace to work the knots out of his unruly curls. Lance even smiled a time or two, watching Jace carefully and patiently working his way through Justin’s locks. Still, Justin occasionally cringed and yelped at the pain. 

“It would help if we washed all this dirt out of your hair first. This would probably be easier if we all went down to the water hole. That way, you’ll know where it is, Justin, so you can bathe when you want to.”

Raising his eyebrows, Justin was beginning to realize the freedoms these bachelors had. They only hunted to feed themselves, which didn’t take nearly as much as a full clan with women and children. They lived in a cave, so there was no need for extra hides for use to repair shelters after storms. They didn’t need to share the bathing hole with females, which meant they could pretty much bathe whenever they wanted to. In fact, it just dawned on him how late into the morning, he had been allowed to sleep. His mother was forever nagging at him to get up in the mornings, but apparently here, they slept as late as they desired to. Smiling happily, he followed Jace down the trail. Lance was following them, at a distance.

When they arrived at the water hole, they found that Chris and Joey were still splashing about in the water. 

“Were you ever planning to bring the water up?” Jace teased them.

“Eventually.” 

After dropping his skins on a rock, Jace gracefully leapt into the air, flipping himself over before splashing into the water. The trio splashed around awhile before they even noticed Justin was still on the rocks, just watching them. Lance was nowhere to be seen.

“Come on in,” Joey coaxed.

Justin eyed them all and the piles of their discarded apparel on the rocks at the water’s edge. His eyes darted back and forth, while his mind was having trouble trying to decide if he wanted to be seen naked before these...men. Glancing at them again, he could clearly see that Joey, Chris and even Jace had developed all the telltale signs of manhood. Not only the beards the two older men wore, but the hair over their chests and backs. Justin was still as smooth as the day he was born. No wonder Joey didn’t buy his first story of being thrown out of the clan because he was becoming a man. He was still so obviously...a boy. 

Before Justin ever finished his internal debate, Chris swam toward him, underwater, and surreptitiously grasped Justin’s ankle, pulling him into the murky depths. Justin struggled a little bit. Having not noticed Chris’ stealth attack, Justin didn’t know what had grabbed him and pulled him under the water. Fortunately he had his head about him enough to take in a deep breath as he fell. So he struggled a bit, but it seemed that he felt human hands on him and figured it had to be Chris or Joey. Chris pushed the writhing boy all the way to the bottom before releasing him.

Once released, Justin swam to the surface and attempted to climb out of the water, only to be grabbed by Chris once more and pulled again into the water. This time Justin relaxed and allowed Chris to push him under the water. It didn’t take long to realize that Chris was just playing with him. His grasp wasn’t enough to injure Justin and he never held him down longer than Justin could hold his breath. Chris would just continue to pull Justin back into the water every time Justin tried to get out. 

Finally, Justin decided to stay in the water. Turning to Chris, all he could see was the top of Chris’ head, from the nose up. Chris was still and watching him, like a cougar eyeing his prey. Every move Justin made brought about a counter-move from Chris. Eventually, after Justin had remained perfectly still for a couple minutes, Chris slapped his hand across the water, sending a spray of water into Justin’s face. That’s when it truly struck Justin that Chris was playing with him and trying to get him to play back. The boy grinned broadly and sent a spray of water back in Chris’ direction. Chris merely slipped beneath the water. Justin lost track of him, until he felt Chris’ arms wrap around him from the back, swinging him around and pulling him below the surface. When they came back up for air, Justin was giggling loudly and trying to splash Chris away from him.

Several feet away, Joey and Jace were relaxing at the water’s edge. They were sitting on submerged rocks so only their heads, arms and shoulders were visible. Jace had leaned his head back, his eyes shut.

“I’m glad you boys showed up,” Joey teased, “Chris was just wearing me out.”

Jace smiled, “Justin may prove to be a suitable playmate for Chris, don’t you think? The kid has more energy than you, I’ll bet.”

With a laugh, Joey replied, “Maybe energy, but certainly not stamina.”

They listened as Justin squealed delightfully as Chris swam beneath his legs, only to come up behind him, tickling him at his waist. 

Chris tugged slightly on the skins Justin wore, explaining, “This should come off. You’ll have a lot more fun swimming without it. I don’t doubt that it needed to be washed, but I think that’s been accomplished.”

Justin looked nervous again, but allowed Chris to unlace the ties and throw the garment onto a rock. Chris relieved Justin’s apprehension by tickling him some more then dunking him under the water a few more times. Soon they were back to splashing battles and Justin forgot all about being naked in front of these near strangers.

Lance’s eyes grew wide as he watched hidden in the bushes. They grew even wider when he noticed Chris nibbling at Justin’s neck, with his arms encircling Justin from behind, which only caused Justin to giggle and laugh, leaning back against Chris’ chest.

Jace opened his eyes and scooted closer to Joey, nearly whispering, “So did you and Justin have an interesting night?”

“You didn’t ask him? Or are you just verifying information?”

“Lance was there. I didn’t want to freak him out.”

“Justin and I talked. He’s never even been kissed before last night. At first he was a little shy and hesitant, but he seemed to get into it. He told me the truth as to why he was kicked out of his clan. His father caught him jerking off and that is against the laws of his clan. They even blindfolded him and led him away for two days then gave him some liquid that put him to sleep. Justin was afraid it was poison, but said if he didn’t drink it, the man with him had orders to slit his throat, so he drank. The man had promised he would wake up unbound, and he did. It just gave him a nasty headache.”

Jace laughed. “You say Chris gives you a nasty headache.”

“Sometimes,” Joey grinned. “Justin does look like quite a suitable playmate for him. They seem to be getting along quite well.”

“Chris even got him to take off those filthy skins he was wearing. I will have to make that boy some extra clothes, like I did for Lance.”

“Lance lets you make him clothes?”

“Yes. He even comes down here and bathes, usually really early before you guys get up.”

“We must have really freaked him out,” a morose sadness touched his voice. “We didn’t mean to.”

“I know. You and Chris tend to get over zealous sometimes. You have to be slow and patient with Lance. And quiet down a little. Every time you and Chris get going, even just laughing heartily, you frighten him.”

“Did you tell him we really do like him? I mean, we even feed him. We could just let him go hungry until he gets up the nerve to sit with us.”

“He came out and sat with Justin and me. Actually Lance was already eating when Justin woke up. At first Lance hid, but I coaxed him out.”

“You have a way with that boy. Must remind him of his mother,” Joey chuckled.

“He said his mother is dead. His whole family. His sister apparently died first, then his mother and another child, then his father. I asked if that was why he left his clan, but he said no. Why don’t you and Chris take the water back up and maybe I can coax Lance into swimming with me and Justin.”

“Lance is here?”

“Yeah. He followed us down, but he’s hiding in the bushes over there. Joey! Don’t look! He’s there. Trust me. He’s been watching Chris and Justin play.”

“Hmm, maybe there is hope for him yet. Hey Chris,” Joey called more loudly, “let’s head on back and let the girls have the hole for a while.” Joey turned, winking at Jace as he dragged himself out of the water and began to dress.

Chris pretended to pout as Joey insisted he leave Justin behind. Before swimming to the shore, Chris licked Justin’s ear and promised, “Until tonight, baby.” Then he poked him in the ribs just to make Justin squeal with laughter once more.


	9. Chapter 9

Joey and Chris dressed then collected the water pouches. As they walked away, they continued to shove each other, as if vying for the right to walk first up the mountain trail.

Once they were out of earshot, Joey asked, “So what do you think of Justin?”

Chris grinned, “Sweet, very sweet.”

“Just take it easy on him. He’s still very young and. Chris, are you listening to me?”

Chris’ eyes had become foggy with other thoughts. “Hmmm? Yeah, listening. Young.”

“He’s young and inexperienced.”

“He doesn’t mind being touched. I had my hands all over him under the water. All he did was laugh when I tickled him. He didn’t seem to mind my lips being on him either.” Chris smirked. Joey shoved him with his shoulder.

Back at the water hole, Jace lay basking on a rock for a few minutes. Justin eventually joined him. As Justin pulled himself out of the water, he studied Jace’s long body. He wasn’t as hairy as Chris or Joey, but definitely more mature than Justin’s own body. He was really almost too pretty to be a man. Perhaps that was why Chris and Joey liked to call him a woman. Eyeing Jace’s fine features and high cheekbones, he imagined that a young Jace could have been mistaken for a girl. As Justin rose completely out of the water, he stood above Jace and shook his head like a wet dog, allowing the spray to rain down over Jace’s sculpted body.

Jace smiled, “You’re a lot like Chris, you know? He does the same damn thing.”

Justin dropped to his knees, beside Jace. “I like Chris. A lot. He’s fun. And you promised to unknot my hair. I think all the dirt is washed out now.”

“Later. Relax. Lay down for a bit.”

“Why not now?” Justin pouted.

“You’re too wound up from playing with Chris. You would never be able to stay still enough. Lay down.”

“It’s been years since my mother made me take a nap.”

“Come on Justin. I’m going to see if Lance will come out, now that the other two are gone.”

Justin relented, laying down beside Jace, so that their arms touched. “Jace? What did they do to Lance?”

“They caught him. Like they caught you. And they brought him back to camp. He looked scared, like he was going to run, so they stuck him in the cave and wouldn’t let him come out. Those two really are pretty harmless, but everything is a joke or a game to them. And they were drunk on wine that night, which only makes them worse. They would go at him if he got near the entrance, chasing him back in. Then that night they went in and Lance had burrowed himself into the supplies in the back. So Joey and Chris stalked him, hunted him down. Followed his tracks and ferreted him out. Lance tried to get past them, but they caught him and threw him down. They’re both very sweet, but they can be rough when they’re playing around, so I think they threw Lance down a little harder than they should have. He had pissed himself when they threw him down, so they took his clothing away. Then laughed about it. Then they actually staked him down so he wouldn’t move. He was so scared Justin. So frightened. I don’t know what they were thinking. They started pawing at him. He was shaking and crying. I told them to stop, but they said it was none of my business how they trained him. I went back out to the cooking fire, but I could still hear him crying. I think they both took him that night. I went in the next morning and they were both passed out. They had left him staked down and he was bleeding. So I untied him, fed him and tended to his wounds. He was still scared, but I talked to him. I told him those two didn’t really mean any harm. Lance didn’t say anything, just whimpered. I promised him I would keep him fed and doctored if he would stick around. I made him some more clothing. He ran away when Chris and Joey woke up, but every time they left after that, Lance would just appear at the cooking fire. He obviously didn’t go far. Sometimes he brings me berries and things. Food to prepare. Then he showed me where he stayed, behind the rocks there. So I talked to him and I talked to Joey and Chris about leaving him alone until he’s ready. So he will come to the cooking fire when they’re gone and if it’s raining, he’ll sleep right at the cave’s entrance, but he takes off if Joey or Chris gets out of their sleeping furs. Lance will just run into the rain. I think he’ll come around sooner or later.”

Justin nodded, then asked, “What do you mean, ‘they both took him’? I don’t understand.”

“Did you stay in your father’s tent?”

“Sometimes. It depended how many of us were around. When I was younger and he only had two wives, we were all in one tent. Now each wife has her own tent with her children and my father chooses which one he wishes to stay with each night.”

“Then you hear him, when he is with your mother?”

“The mating? Yes. My mother tried to explain that to me. But she explained that it was one male and one female. Joey said it didn’t matter if it was a male or a female, but I don’t really understand it. Were you and Chris mating last night?”

“Yes. Joey said you two kissed and that’s the beginning then there’s the hands. Partners should learn each other’s bodies. The touching can be quite. Nice. Very pleasant. Then there are other things, the fondling of your. Manhood. Joey said your father caught you. So you know. About that.”

“Joey touched me last night. Was that the same as mating? It was. Pleasant. He said it would be. He’s better at it than I am. I think. More experienced.”

“There’s that. There are different ways to bring you to. That point. But for mating. One partner penetrates the other.”

Justin frowned. Not understanding.

“Women are built differently. They have two places a man can penetrate, but a man only has one.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Come here, Justin.” Jace paused, while Justin rolled closer. Jace then reached around Justin’s back, deftly slipping his hand between Justin’s cheeks and just teasing the entrance a bit, just pressure, not penetrating him. “Right there.”

Justin reached his own hand back, grabbing at Jace’s, pushing the finger in gently, feeling the tightness. “They, they’re going to put their manhood in there?” he questioned. “It’s too small.”

“That’s why they have to be careful at first. That’s why Lance was bleeding. They were too rough and he wasn’t prepared. He was probably trying to fight them and that only makes it worse. And if they left him staked down, and no doubt they did, he was at a really bad angle for penetration. I’m not going to lie to you Justin, it is going to hurt the first few times, but eventually, when you do it more often, it feels really good. Really good.”

“Can I penetrate you?”

“Not today, sweetie,” Jace giggled. 

“I just want to know what it’s like.”

Jace reached out his palm to stroke Justin’s jawline. “We can. One day. If you want. But not today. Sit up and I’ll work on your hair a bit.”

Justin sighed as he righted himself. Jace pulled out a knife and a comb and set to work. Justin closed his eyes and had forgotten all about Lance, until he heard a splash behind them. Justin said nothing, but watched Lance as he swam around and realized he was naked. “He took his clothes off, Jace.”

Jace laughed, tugging on a knot. “You’re the only one around here who leaps into the water fully dressed. I’ve seen Lance naked lots of times. He trusts me. And he seems to trust you. At least when you’re with me.”

When Jace had finished with Justin’s hair, he leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Justin’s lips. “All done.”

Reaching up, Justin felt his curls, which now seemed to be clean and more consistent in the way they fell. “My mother, she loved my curls.”

Jace smiled and ruffled Justin’s hair. “I’ll bet anything that you were one of your mother’s favorites.”

“I was her first son. She had two girls before me. And my father’s first wife had three sons before I was born. My mother was his second wife. She is one of his favorites because she has more daughters than sons. I had one younger brother, but he got sick and died, the rest of my mother’s children were all girls. The other wives have some sons though, so I do have little brothers.”

“Lance,” Jace coaxed, “come here and I’ll do your hair, too. Come on.”

Lance hoisted himself up to the rock, sitting before Jace, eyeing Justin cautiously. “I don’t want curls,” he spoke quietly, grinning sheepishly toward Justin.

“Close your eyes,” Jace urged as he went to work with his knife and comb.

Justin moved quietly, until he was next to Jace. Lance’s muscles tightened as Justin ran a feather light touch down his arm. Lance gasped softly, but remained still, with his eyes tightly shut. He trusted Jace to take care of him.


	10. Chapter 10

Lance followed Jace and Justin back up the mountain trail, but cut off the path before they reached the cooking fire and cave. Justin felt sure Lance was only trying to avoid Joey and Chris. The pair had a large fire going and were laughing away. Justin stuck close to Jace, helping him prepare the meal. Jace pointed out the different plants he used to season the meat.

“Those two,” Jace nodded toward Joey and Chris, “never had a clue about herbs and spices. Whatever they were eating before I joined them, it must have been pretty bland.” Jace then leaned over, picking up some vegetables. “Even Lance knows there’s more than just meats. Sometimes he leaves and he brings these back. Sometimes he brings me berries.”

“So he does help,” Justin mused.

“Lance? Sure, he helps me when those two are gone. He keeps me company and brings firewood and food for me to prepare. I don’t think his clan taught him how to hunt either. He really is sweet though. Someday he’ll feel safe enough to come out when they’re around.”

This night Jace made a stew for the guys, which required the use of bowls and spoons to eat. Jace filled a bowl, stuck a spoon in it and left it on top of a nearby rock. Justin watched as Lance crept forward and grabbed it. Justin walked over to the rock, peering over the top. Lance gazed back, unsure.

“Won’t you come sit with us?” Justin asked gently. “No one will hurt you. I promise.”

Lance shook his head and huddled closer to his rock. Justin went back to sit down, only to have Chris pull him onto his lap. Justin struggled for a moment, thrown off balance, but Chris held on, settling Justin so he was leaning back against Chris’ chest. When Justin relaxed, Chris licked his ear then asked quietly, “Ever drink wine before, boy?”

“Chris,” Jace warned, “he’s too young, too innocent.”

Chris only licked Justin’s ear again, eliciting a giggle. “But he’s old enough to be on his own, Jace. He’s old enough.” Chris picked up a mug he had been drinking out of before and tipped it toward Justin’s lips.

Justin scrunched up his nose at the smell. It reminded him of the liquid his clansman gave him to put him to sleep. The memory caused him to squirm, but Chris held him tightly. He was stronger than he appeared to be.

Chris swallowed deeply from the mug. “It’s good Justin, you’ll like it. It’s sweet like you, with a little sassy kick to it,” he smirked, tipping the mug to Justin’s lips.

Justin looked at Joey, who was grinning eagerly and nodding to him then at Jace, whose face showed concern. The sky was darkening, they would be going into the cave soon to sleep. Chris didn’t look sleepy. Justin accepted the mug and drank deeply, as Chris had. As soon as the liquid hit his throat, Justin coughed and sputtered. Chris and Joey laughed, while Chris rubbed a hand up and down Justin’s back, to soothe him.

“Baby, start with little sips, okay? It’s just elderberry wine, but if you’re not used to it, you can’t be gulping it down like water. Try a little more, okay?”

Justin nodded and allowed Chris to tip the wine into his mouth again, but this time, he only sipped it. When Joey walked over to fill the mug again, he brought a separate one for Justin, who seemed to be enjoying the wine. It wasn’t long before Justin felt the ebb of warmth flow over his body and he relaxed fully into Chris’ arms. When he turned his head to look at Chris, he made note of his dark, playful eyes and the dark hair he wore in braids. Joey had only the hair in the front braided into strands, but Justin was fairly certain that all of Chris’ hair was in braids. Without thinking, Justin reached a hand up tugging at Chris’ beard.

“You like that?” Chris questioned.

“The wine, yes. The beard, no.”

Chris laughed, “Jace doesn’t like the beards either. Or the wine. He says it makes us silly. Sillier than we normally are.” Justin seemed unsteady and heavy in Chris’ arms. Chris planted a kiss at Justin’s temple. “Are you comfortable?”

“Mmm, yeah. Comfy.” Justin’s eyes dropped closed, the wine making him sleepy.

Chris shifted the boy on his lap. “Finish your wine.”

Justin opened his eyes and drank deeply. Joey watched as Chris continued planting soft kisses on Justin’s forehead and ruffled his hair. “You need help with him?”

Chris smiled, “I think he’s okay. Come on Justin. Time to put you to bed.”

Justin tried to get to his feet, but fell. Everything was spinning around him. He barely felt Chris lifting him back to his feet. Then another set of hands. Justin suspected it was Joey helping. The pair dragged Justin into the cave and this time they removed his clothing before placing him down gently onto Chris’ furs. He felt similar to how he felt after drinking the sleeping potion. His body was heavy and slow to respond. He heard Jace’s voice, but it seemed far away.

“Chris, please don’t hurt him. He’s not ready.”

“I’m not going to hurt him Jace, I promise. You okay, Justin?”

Justin couldn’t open his eyes, but he managed to mumble, “I am ready. So ready.”

“He says he’s ready, Jace.”

“Chris, he’s not.”

“Don’t worry.”

Chris laid Justin out flat, raising his arms above his head, smiling at how pliant the boy had become. As soon as he shed his own skins, Chris scooted into the furs, next to Justin. Slowly, gently, Chris ran his hand from Justin’s hip, up through his arm, then back down to Justin’s hip, before spanning his fingers across Justin’s taut stomach. The boy smiled, keeping his eyes shut, as if lost in his dreams. Leaning forward, Chris kissed Justin’s lips, softly at first then more demanding.

“You think you’re ready?”

“So ready,” Justin responded as he rolled over to face Chris, opening his eyes. “So ready.”

Chris continued to explore Justin with his hands and alternated kissing his mouth with nibbling at his ears and neck. Justin giggled and leaned into Chris’ touches, trusting him. He decided he liked the wine, which made him feel horny and bold. Chris moved down, lapping at Justin’s nipples, sucking on one while palming the other, causing Justin to moan.

Jace’s voice was tinted with concern, “Justin, are you okay? Justin?”

“He’s doing fine, Jace. Stop being a such a mother,” Chris teased.

“Justin?”

“Okay, Jace. Feels good. So good. Oh, Jace. Jace.”

Chris ran his fingers through Justin’s curls. “Baby, you’re going to kill the mood if you to call Jace’s name every time you get hard.”

“Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris,” Justin chanted.

“Better.”

Chris licked his way down to Justin’s stomach, tonguing over the boy’s abs. As he sucked on Justin’s hip, Chris rubbed Justin’s thighs, settling between them. Justin let his legs drop open, already hard and panting. 

“Are you good?”

Justin was breathing heavily, “So good. So good.”

Chris grabbed Justin’s shaft and licked it thoroughly before taking it into his mouth and sucking. Justin arched his back and began thrusting, attempting to delve deeper into Chris’ hot mouth. 

“More, Chris, more,” Justin begged.

Chris began to suck harder. Justin whimpered when he felt his still hard cock slip from Chris’ mouth. It wasn’t long before Chris swallowed him again then slipped a wet finger between his cheeks, rubbing at Justin’s entrance for a moment. When he felt Justin was near, Chris slipped a single finger in, finding Justin’s prostate in time to send Justin into orgasm. Justin moaned as Chris swallowed deeply then licked him clean. Chris’ hands roamed up Justin’s body feeling it relax and begin to cool.

“Baby,” Chris whispered into Justin’s ear.

“I like the wine. Feels good.”

“What about me?”

“You feel good, too. I like you, too. Make me feel good.”

Leaning over, Chris kissed Justin again, allowing the boy to taste himself on Chris’ lips. Justin’s eyes shot open wide, like he had just realized what Chris had done. Chris kissed him deeper, rolling on top of the younger man.

Justin’s voice fell quiet as he whispered, “Are you going to mate with me now?”

Chris felt the slight tremor erupting through Justin’s body, “No, not tonight. Jace says you’re not ready. Just relax, okay? I’m not going to hurt you.”

“That’s what Joey said.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“No.”

“Just relax.” 

Chris continued kissing Justin, long after he felt the boy relax beneath him. After a while, Chris began thrusting against Justin’s leg. Two things surprised him. One was that Justin was already hard again. The other was that Justin had reached down to stroke Chris cock.

“I knew you were going to be fun,” Chris teased him as he continued to thrust. Reaching down, he palmed Justin’s length, stroking it in time with his own thrusts. He waited until he felt Justin release, before he came himself. Afterward, he collapsed against Justin’s body.

“So good,” he muttered as he fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning, Justin woke up with a terrible headache. The furs were cool beside him, but he felt fingers threading through his curls. After moaning a couple of times, he managed to open his eyes. When they focused on the face above him, he realized it wasn’t Chris with him. It was Lance. 

“Did he hurt you?” Lance asked quietly.

Justin remained silent for a moment, attempting to sort his thoughts. “No. He didn’t hurt me. Did they go hunting?”

“They said they had to get skins so Jace could make you some more clothes to wear. Your skins are in bad shape, they say. Are you hungry?”

“My stomach hurts. And my head.”

Jace entered the cave. Dropping his hand, he caressed Justin’s cheek. “First time you drank wine?”

“Yes.”

“You drank too much. The wine is like sex, you have to take it slow and easy until you’re used to it. Are you okay? With what happened last night?”

A smile crept across Justin’s features, he practically glowed. “I like Chris. A lot.”

Jace smiled, brushing Justin’s curls back, “Well, you’ll have to like Joey tonight.”

“They always trade you back and forth?”

“Always. They share. Everything. They like you too, sweetie.” His hand cupped Justin’s cheek again. “Do you feel like getting up?”

“My stomach hurts. And my head.” Justin struggled to his feet long enough to throw up.

Jace leaned forward to catch him. “Yep, too much to drink. Lance, will you take him outside, while I clean this up? Please?”

Lance nodded as he hoisted Justin to his feet and half-dragged, half-carried the boy outside and managed to help Justin relieve himself and settled him on a log beside the cooking fire before Jace joined them.

With a friendly smile, Jace leaned forward, jiggling Justin’s foot. “No wine for you tonight, okay? And next time don’t drink so much.”

Justin nodded and lay down on the ground, not feeling well enough to sit upright. Lance sat down beside him, putting the younger boy’s head into his lap. Jace smiled. Lance and Justin almost looked like they could be brothers.

Jace prepared some broth and brought it over to Justin. Lance continued to run his fingers through Justin’s hair, as if he was fascinated that it always bounced back into curls. 

“Justin,” Jace offered, “I need to know if Chris took you. Like we talked about. Remember?”

“Hmmm?”

“Did he? I need to check to see if you’re bleeding.”

“No, he. He didn’t do that. He said I wasn’t ready. I told him I was, but he said you said I wasn’t.”

“That’s good. You’re not really ready. And you really need to not make that decision when you’re drunk on wine.”

“Made me feel good.”

“Last night. You’re paying for it now.”

“Worth it. I wanted to.”

Neither one noticed Lance’s breath growing short until he blurted out, “It hurts. It hurts.”

Jace moved with cat-like quickness to envelope Lance in a hug. “Baby, they didn’t mean to hurt you. I promise they didn’t mean to. They were just drunk and being stupid. That’s a terrible way for it to be your first time.”

“It wasn’t the first time,” Lance cried, his body shaking.

Justin looked up into Lance’s eyes and stroked his arm. Speaking softly, he gently persuaded, “Tell me, tell me what happened to you. Please, Lance.”

Jace rubbed Lance’s shoulder and brushed the tears away as Lance began to tell his tale.

“My father bartered my older sister away. I don’t think she was old enough, but times were tough. Her husband was a cruel man that was so mean to her. When we were kids we played together, we were close. She told me our mother had two other children when I was too young to remember, but they died. My sister told me how her husband beat her and was mean to her. He complained that she couldn’t carry a child and the women of the clan, they even said she was just too young. My mother, she even had another child before my sister did, but that child died too. My parents finally relaxed when my sister got pregnant, thinking her husband would be kind to her then, but he wasn’t. He still made her do all her chores and he still laid with her. I helped her when he wasn’t around. Then one day she started bleeding really badly. I ran to get my mother and the other women. They said her husband was too hard on her, made her do too much. She died and her baby. Then her husband, he was really mad and came to my father complaining. Within our clan, a woman bartered into marriage must be healthy enough to carry and deliver children. Since my sister died before birthing a live child, her husband wanted the trade back. I don’t know what it was, but I think he had given a lot for her and it was a bad year. My parents had nothing to give back to him. So he said it was within his rights to get repaid and they called a clan meeting to decide what should be done. They said he should be compensated and the only thing my father had of value was my mother and me. They told him to choose, to hand one of us over until he was able to repay the debt. We were to be collateral. My father chose to hand me over.”

Lance paused, taking a deep breath. His tears started anew. “He gave me to this cruel, cruel man. I was only supposed to have to do her chores, doing the cooking, sewing his skins and keeping his tent. But he said I was his wife now and I must perform all the duties of a wife, so he took me. He hurt me so badly. It was as bad as my sister had told me. My mother cried every time she saw me after that. After a few months she died giving birth to another child. The woman of the clan said she really died of a broken heart. Then the plague came through. My father became ill and had no one to care for him. This cruel man, my husband, he wouldn’t allow me to tend to my father. So many of the clan fell ill and the healthy ones decided to leave them behind before everyone took ill and we all died. When I went to say farewell to my father, I saw him dead in his tent. They set the tent on fire. They said to kill the disease.”

Jace gave Lance a reassuring squeeze and a cup of water to sip, before he continued. “When we moved, there weren’t many women left. He made me dress as a woman and told everyone I was his wife. I had learned my chores from watching the other women of the clan and I think I did okay. But one night, my husband, he offered me to the other men of the clan who had lost their women. He bartered me away to a group of men who shared a tent. So then I had to care for five men, instead of one. They were all as cruel as the first. They beat me and they all took me. Sometimes they all took me in the same night. They would tie my wrists and sometimes one would hold me while another took me. Once I tried,” Lance shook with a heavy sob, “I tried to kill myself. With a knife. I hated them and I hated what I had become. I had no one I could talk to. No one could help me. I didn’t want to grow old living like that. But one of them found me and stopped me. After that, they kept an eye on me and tied me up. One day when I was at the river cleaning our dishes and skins, the one watching me had fallen asleep. So I ran. I ran as long as I could. But I had taken nothing with me. I don’t know how to hunt well. My father had just started taking me on hunts when that man took me. I was just walking around. If I had a knife with me, I would have...”

“Shh, baby,” Jace soothed. “You’re with us now. You’re safe with us. Those two, they just don’t think sometimes. They didn’t mean to hurt you, baby.” Jace brushed a kiss across Lance’s temple.

“How long were you with them, before you left?” Justin wondered.

“I think I my mother told me it was my eleventh winter when I was given to that man. I was with him, I think, four winters. I had only been with the group of men a couple months then I wandered alone for a couple months. I think I’m sixteen seasons old now. Two years older than Justin.”

When Joey and Chris returned, toting a buck, they found the other three asleep around the cooking fire. Justin still laying down, with his head in Lance’s lap. Lance with his hand entwined in Justin’s curls, his head leaning onto Jace’s shoulder and Jace leaning into Lance, his arms encircling the younger man protectively.

Chris nodded. “Sweet. Very sweet.”


	12. Chapter 12

After Chris and Joey had hung the buck, Chris woke Jace so he could begin preparing their meal. Joey slipped in to take Jace’s place, allowing Lance to lean against him then wrapped his arms around the blond. Despite his broad shoulders, Lance felt small and vulnerable in Joey’s arms.

“What’s the matter, babe?” Chris questioned Jace, observing, “You look upset.”

Jace shook his head, trying to hold back the tears. Keeping his voice low, he informed Chris, “Lance is only sixteen, Chris, and he’s been forcibly taken by other men since he was eleven. He was just a child, just a baby. He told us the whole story. When he was eleven his sister died and her husband demanded compensation, so he took Lance. He treated Lance as his wife then traded him away to a group of five other men who had lost their wives. It’s terrible. He’s been tied up, beaten and raped for about as long as he can remember. And he’s had no one he can turn to.”

Chris wrapped his arms around Jace, “I’m so sorry we got out of hand that one night, babe. It won’t ever happen again. I promise. We’ll protect him and care for him. We’ll be his family.”

“He tried to kill himself, but they caught him. He said if he had a knife when he escaped, he said that he would have ended his life.”

“You say he likes to help you, right? Then tell him he can help. Joey and I won’t touch him unless you say it’s okay. Alright? We’re taking things slow with Justin, just like you asked. Although the kid doesn’t seem to want to take things slow,” Chris chuckled. “How’s the kid doing?”

“Hung over. He’s felt awful all day. He hasn’t been able to eat. Slept all day. I told him he is not to drink tonight and that next time he drinks, he needs to drink less.”

“We’ll take care of them, I promise. I like playing with Justin.” With that said, Chris leaned in to kiss Jace.

“It’s Joey’s day to have Justin,” Jace reminded him, wrapping his arms around Chris’ waist.

Chris grinned in return. “Well, we just won’t tell him. Besides, he’s out there hanging onto Lance.”

“Oh,” Jace thought back, knowing he never thought clearly right when he first woke up. “We better. Before Lance wakes up. And freaks out. We should go. Out there.”

“Jace, trust me, okay?”

“What are you going to do?”

Smiling, Chris lifted his fingers to Jace’s lips. “Trust me. Let me and Joey handle this, okay? Please? I promise we won’t hurt him. I promise.”

Jace nodded, knowing that he couldn’t stop Chris and Joey from doing anything they wanted to do. He could only hope Chris was going to keep his promise. He always had before. So Jace tried to trust Chris’ promise, hoping that Chris and Joey would show Lance some compassion and understanding.

Jace stood back, watching Chris grab a leather cord and tie Lance’s ankles together. Tears prickled Jace’s eyes as he pleaded, “Don’t hurt him. Please don’t hurt him. He’s been through so much.”

Chris and Joey had been together so long, hunted together for so long, that they could read each other. They could communicate without words. Joey ran his hands down Lance’s arms, holding him securely at the wrists, pulling him back against his chest.

Between Jace’s crying and Chris handling his legs, Lance woke up. Looking forward, he was startled to see Chris so close, sitting on his legs. He couldn’t move his legs and someone had his arms. Looking to one side, he saw that Joey had him. He saw that Joey was wrapped around him holding Lance to his chest. Each of Joey’s hands were clasped around one of Lance’s wrists. Writhing madly, Lance attempted to get away from the two men, but only succeeded in waking Justin.

Justin immediately rolled onto his feet and attempted to shove Chris off of Lance. “Stop it!” he screamed.

Chris turned to Jace, “Come get Justin. Now!”

Jace hesitated only a moment before he situated himself between Chris and Justin. Then he leaned down, kneeling, and placed his hand to Lance’s cheek as his voice soothingly caressed the words, “Please don’t struggle, baby. They won’t hurt you. I promise, I won’t let them hurt you.”

Lance quieted down, but found Jace’s tearful words unconvincing. 

Chris spoke in even tones, “Lance, just listen, okay? We’re not going to hurt you. We’re both sorry for treating you like we did. Joey and I can be real jerks, sometimes . We’re sorry. We all want you here as part of the group, not living out in the bushes. It’s starting to get cold and the rainy season will be upon us soon, then the snows. You can’t stay outside. Jace says you help him when we’re not around, but we want you to feel comfortable helping him whether we’re here or not. Or you can come hunting with me and Joey. Whatever you want to do. And Joey and I promise we won’t touch you unless you’re okay with it. We’ll be here if you need us and we will hunt for you and take care of you and protect you. Understand?”

Lance still looked leery. Justin paced on the other side of Jace.

Jace held out his hand to Lance. “Will you help me prepare dinner?”

When Lance nodded, Joey released his wrist so he could touch Jace’s hand. Then Chris stood up and released Lance’s legs. “Don’t run,” he warned. 

Lance darted around Jace, but stuck at his side. Jace threw an arm around Lance’s shoulder and led him to where he was preparing dinner. “It’s good for you to stay with us, instead of hiding. Chris is right, you know. It will soon be the rainy season and then the snows will come. You should stay with us. They promised not to hurt you. You know Justin and I will protect you. Okay? Stay with us, please?”

Lance nodded as he cut meat away from bone.

That evening, Lance sat between Justin and Jace at their evening meal. The cooking fire between him and Joey and Chris. He waited until all the others went into the cave, before he allowed Jace to coax him to the entrance. When Jace pulled some furs to the entrance for Lance to use, Justin leaned over to whisper in Joey’s ear. 

“I’m going to talk to Lance, okay? I just want to make him feel safe.”

“Sure,” Joey sighed.

Justin crawled to the entrance just as Jace was tucking Lance in for the night.

“Lance,” he whispered, “I’ll stay here with you if you want. If it will make you feel better.”

Lance looked at Jace, before nodding. Justin crawled into the furs with Lance, still leaving his clothing on. As he got settled, he realized that Lance was also wearing his clothes. It didn’t surprise him, considering Lance was always ready to flee at a moment’s notice. Jace ran a hand across Lance’s hair then kissed his forehead. Next he did the same to Justin.

“Goodnight, boys,” he said before he made his way back to Chris. “Poor Joey has to sleep alone tonight I guess.”

“Like he did every other night, until two nights ago.”

“Seems like Justin’s been here longer.”

“Just because he fits so well. Even Lance likes him.”


	13. Chapter 13

Jace nestled his head against Chris’ neck and smiled. Reaching out, he rubbed his hand across Chris’ stomach. He was slightly envious that both Chris and Joey were able to carry the extra pounds in the summer, which helped them survive the winter, when game was more scarce and berries and vegetables were impossible to find. Jace himself could never put on an extra ounce. He had come close to death more than once in the wintertime when food supplies were low and sometimes the clans had to go for days with little or nothing to eat. Even worse, the clan that had bartered him into slavery rarely allowed him to sleep inside a tent, insisting they didn’t have room. Jace was given one fur and did the best he could to keep warm by curling himself into a ball. He had always hated the cold chill of winter.

Chris’ hand reached up to caress Jace’s face. “What’s the matter, babe?”

“Nothing.”

“You just shivered. Are you cold?”

Jace squeezed Chris tightly about the waist, smiling. “With you? Never. Just thinking about winter.”

“Don’t worry. Joey and I can kill enough game to keep us all going. If you can teach the boys to help you season and dry the meat and prepare the hides and furs properly, we’ll all be fine.”

“Justin is almost as thin as I am.”

“We’ll just have to fatten you both up. Remember he hadn’t eaten well for a couple weeks before we found him. Justin hadn’t really found anything to eat. At least Lance said he managed to catch a couple of hares and at least he knew what plants were edible. Justin is lucky he didn’t poison himself.”

“Lance was on his own longer than Justin. And had been taught to do more than Justin had been taught.”

“They’ll be fine, Jace. Stop acting like a worried mother.”

With that, Chris rolled on top of Jace, allowing Jace’s arms and legs to wrap around him. It crossed Jace’s mind that he would never be cold with Chris lying on top of him. Chris was always warm and never seemed to mind Jace using his body to heat up his hands and feet when they were chilled. All the worries escaped Jace’s thoughts as Chris licked his neck then sucked on his earlobes. Chris twined his fingers through Jace’s hair, holding him steady while they kissed. Chris continued his passionate assault, thrusting his tongue into Jace’s mouth in a rhythm that matched his hips thrusting against Jace’s hip. Chris was a patient man and he enjoyed kissing Jace as much as Jace enjoyed being kissed, so there was no hurry, they had the whole night. Chris would kiss Jace until the younger man began moaning. There was no other sound more beautiful to Chris’ ears than Jace’s salacious moans.

Jace was practically humming as Chris sucked methodically on his neck. When Chris reached his hand to Jace’s mouth, he slipped two fingers inside. Jace immediately began sucking on them hungrily. Chris grinned when he heard Joey moan, knowing Joey never had any problems entertaining himself. And really, he thought, with Jace moaning the way he does, who wouldn’t be hard? 

Jace whimpered as Chris removed his fingers. Moments later, he felt Chris’ fingers penetrating his body, lower. Much lower. Jace shifted his body to allow Chris better access. Jace moaned again as Chris licked lower then nipped at his nipples. Jace relaxed his body as Chris positioned himself then drove in deeply. Jace was almost drowning in pleasure when he felt Chris kiss him deeply once more.

Across the cave, Justin couldn’t help but notice the reaction Lance’s body was having because of Jace’s moaning. “It’s too warm to be wearing skins to bed, don’t you think?” he managed, as he began pulling his clothing off. Reaching tentatively, Justin began tugging at Lance’s ties and pushed his clothing off as well. Running his hand across Lance’s chest, he realized how different Lance’s body was from Joey’s, or Chris’. Lance’s chest was bare, whereas Chris and Joey’s chests were covered with hair. The older men had some toned muscle, but also a bit a fat on them. Lance was thinner, but not as muscular. Justin imagined Chris and Joey were toned from hunting and carrying game and water. Justin continued to let his hand wander, until Lance grabbed his wrist.

Justin stopped moving, but looked into Lance’s moonlit eyes. “Have you ever,” he began to ask, but stalled, momentarily. “Have you ever. Did you, your husband, did he kiss you?”

Lance frowned then shrugged like he had no clue what Justin was talking about.

“Let me show you, okay?” Justin shook his wrist free, then cupped Lance’s jaw, brushing their lips together. When Lance didn’t resist, Justin pushed deeper, licking at Lance’s lips and gaining entrance. “Did he ever do that to you?”

Lance shook his head.

“Do you like it? Want more?”

Lance thought for a moment before bringing his eyes up to meet Justin’s. He nodded, leaning in for more. Justin obliged, wrapping his arms around Lance and pulling them together. Lance seemed to panic when their hardened cocks met between them. 

“It’s okay, Lance,” Justin assured him. “Just kissing.”

For several minutes they kissed. Lance eventually wrapped his arms around Justin, but held him still, while Justin’s hands roamed. Jace’s moans eventually got the better of Justin and he couldn’t resist thrusting against Lance’s leg. Lance jumped again as Justin wrapped his hand around him, stroking him.

“It’s okay, Lance,” Justin cooed. He came first, against Lance’s leg, Lance soon followed, gasping. Justin pulled Lance close again, kissing him deeply.

Chris awoke first, gently shifting Jace off his shoulder. Stepping outside, he relieved himself in the cool morning air. As he returned to the cave, he couldn’t help but notice the two young men lying face to face, closely embraced. Standing for a moment, he smiled at them, before waking Jace up to show him.

At first Jace batted him away, but eventually relented, stretching before standing up and placing his hand in Chris’. With a yawn, he followed Chris to the entrance of the cave, to watch the young boys. Chris pulled Jace to a stop in front of the pair and stood behind Jace, wrapping his arms around Jace’s waist.

“Isn’t that the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” Chris mumbled against Jace’s neck.

“I want to be here for Lance when he wakes up. In case he needs to talk or anything. So he doesn’t freak out. You okay with that?”

“Sure. If I get cold, I can always crawl into Joey’s furs.”

“As if,” Jace sneered.

Naked Chris raised his arms, thrusting his hips into the air, “Hey, me and Joey have awesome sex together, babe.”

Jace tried to suppress his laughter as he crawled in behind Lance. The movement behind Lance woke him up. “Go back to sleep, baby.”

“It didn’t hurt with him,” Lance whispered. “It felt good, just like he said it would.”

Jace had snuggled up behind Lance, spooning him. “Mmm.”

Lance rolled around to face Jace. “He, it felt good.”

“That’s good, baby. It’s supposed to feel good.”

“I don’t understand why those men hurt me. It never felt good with them.”

“I don’t know, baby.”

“Justin was different. He didn’t. He wasn’t inside of me. That’s what those men did.”

“What did Justin do?”

“He. Um, we. He, he kissed me.”

“On the mouth? Just on the mouth, or.”

“Yeah, kissed my mouth, then he used his hand and. And it felt good. I came with him.”

“First time that happen?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, baby, there’s so much more. We’ll all take care of you and we’ll all make you feel good.”

“It didn’t feel good, what Chris and Joey did to me the first night.”

“They were just. Drunk. And acting stupid. They should have been more careful with you. Gentler. They were so gentle with me the first time. But they weren’t drunk. The wine makes them stupid.”


	14. Chapter 14

Joey woke next, stretching as he dressed. Glancing over, he noticed Chris’ furs were empty, which was odd. Jace usually had to be dragged out of bed. Or kicked out. As he made his way to the cave’s opening, he nearly tripped over the three younger men piled together. Stepping around them, he found Chris rebuilding the cooking fire outside.

“Don’t tell me, Chris. Lance wasn’t satisfied with just Justin, so he stole Jace from you as well?”

Chris laughed heartily, tossing a stick at Joey. “No, you ass. Justin and Lance were all wrapped up together when I woke up. They were so cute, I had to show Jace. He thought they were so cute, that he wanted to snuggle up with them. Way too much cuteness going on there. I think we need to split Lance and Justin up. They may get too attached to each other if we let them.”

“Then you won’t get to play with Justin any more, huh?”

“Exactly. Let’s take one of them hunting and the other can help Jace. When you think about it, Joey, the cooking will be too much work for Jace alone, so he needs help, but he doesn’t need them both. One should help us hunt. We’ll even let them choose.”

“We should let Lance choose. He’s the older of the two. He knows a bit of both, while Justin knows nothing. Or, we could let the kids take over the cooking and take Jace hunting with us.”

Chris roared with laughter, falling to the ground with tears in his eyes, “Can you imagine Jace on a hunt? Too funny! Yeah, let Lance decide. That’s fine. We’ll deal with sleeping arrangements later.”

When Jace and the boys came out, Justin sat with Joey and Chris while Lance helped Jace prepare the meal. Chris couldn’t help reaching out and poking Justin in the ribs. Lance’s head shot up when he heard Justin squeal. Lance stood still staring, muscles tensed until Jace leaned over and assured him they were only playing.

Before they sat down to their meal, Chris walked over to Jace and Lance. He threw an arm over each man’s shoulder. Lance froze.

“Joey and I have been talking,” Chris informed them. “We’ve agreed that with two more mouths to feed, that we’ll need one more hunter and that you, Jace, will need one of them to help you with the cooking and sewing and stuff. It’s only fair that everyone pulls their weight. We’ve talked to Justin and he’s happy to lend a hand. Either way is fine with him. Lance, you’re the older of the two of you, so you can decide. You can either stay here with Jace or come out hunting with me and Joey. Whatever you pick, Justin gets the other. Think about it. We’ll need to know after breakfast.”

Lance trembled. Jace leaned closer to him, bumping his shoulder. “Either way is fine with me. I mean, I like having you with me, but I know you want to learn to hunt, so it won’t bother me if you want to go with them.”

“I don’t want to go with them. They scare me,” Lance confessed quietly. “But I don’t want Justin to go with them either.”

Jace smiled, raising a hand and ruffling Lance’s hair. “Jealous? One night of passion doesn’t make him yours, you know?”

Lance blushed.

After the meal was over, Chris walked behind Lance, placing his hands on Lance’s shoulders. “Time for you to decide, boy. Do you want to stay with Jace and do girly shit, or come learn how to hunt, like a real man.”

“I _am_ a man, you know?” Jace snapped.

“Yeah, but you are a girly man.” When Jace’s frown remained, Chris pleaded, “Don’t be all pissy, babe. You know I love you. With a capital L and everything.”

Jace remained quiet.

“So Lance, pick. Choose one. Option A or Option B. Your choice.”

“I,” Lance stammered, “I want. Justin to choose.”

Chris moved from Lance, to Justin, poking him in the ribs again, causing him to squeal with laughter. “Alright, you. If you go hunting with us, you can’t be scaring off all the game with this childish squealing and shit.”

Justin shook, squirmed and giggled, before he breathlessly replied, “I want to learn to hunt. Like a _real_ man.” 

“We’ll be gone for a few days,” Chris noted to Jace. “The game is starting to move away. We need to start stocking up for the winter months. We'll need to start drying some meats for us to get through the cold season. Don’t worry about Justin, we’ll take care of him.”


	15. Chapter 15

Joey and Chris took Justin into the cave and showed him the gear they would need for their trip. Before they left, Chris and Joey each kissed Jace. Justin hugged both Jace and Lance, while he grinned nervously, anxious to learn how to hunt.

The first day, the trio mostly walked, while Joey and Chris explained the finer points of tracking animals, setting up an overnight camp, watching the weather as well as navigating by the sun and stars. They noted to Justin that it wouldn’t matter how much food he killed if he couldn’t find his way back to the cave. Chris set up little tests for Justin, which he mostly failed. His failures aggravated him to no end, but Chris and Joey kept insisting that they were only skills that he would develop over time. Justin didn’t like to fail. At anything.

That night Justin begged to sleep with Chris. After all, technically the night before Chris had Jace and Justin would’ve been with Joey, if he hadn’t spent the night with Lance. So, Justin reasoned, it was his turn to be with Chris. Being that Jace was far away, Justin tried again to insist to Chris that he was ready for sex. Chris only laughed and tumbled Justin around. Justin liked that, too, but he was determined to be with Chris. That night. The compromise was that Chris took Justin in his mouth then allowed Justin to penetrate him. Joey watched from only a couple feet away. When Justin rolled off of Chris, he leered over at Joey, asking if he wanted to be next. Joey laughed heartily, ruffling Justin’s hair, then pulling Justin to him for a rough kiss, which left them both breathless. Chris snored lightly in the background.

Back at the cave, an equally horny Lance followed Jace around like a pup. When Jace settled into Chris’ furs that night, Lance frowned, asking, “Why can’t you sleep with me?”

“Come here, then.”

“I like it by the entrance of the cave.”

“It’s too cold.”

“I like to see your face in the moonlight. I can make the fire bigger, if you want. Please?”

Jace couldn’t resist Lance’s puppy dog eyes. As soon as he slipped in beside Lance, the younger man pulled him into a hug and began kissing him. Not very well, but he was trying. His kisses were sloppy and too hurried. 

“Slow down, baby,” Jace coached. “We have all night.”

“I want you. I want you to. To. I don’t want it to hurt. I want it to feel good. Like Justin said. I want you to make me feel good. Okay?”

“What do you want to do, baby?”

“I want you to. Be with me. Like Joey and Chris are with you. But I don’t want it to hurt. You said it doesn’t hurt. You said it felt good. And Justin said it felt good. Justin made me feel good. I want it to feel like that. Please?”

“Are you sure?”

“Jace, please? It’s never felt good to me. All the guys who took me, they never made it good for me. When you were a slave, before Joey and Chris, was it good for you?”

“Baby, I wasn’t. They didn’t take me that way. I was looked at as a slave. I was unclean and beneath them. Lower class. And in that clan, men weren’t allowed to be with men. They would kill a man for that. So Chris and Joey were my first. And second. And it did hurt. Even though they were trying to be careful. But it was good too. And when I got more used to it, it felt really good.”

“I want you to take me. While they’re gone. I don’t want them here. I want you.”

“Okay, baby, but my way,” Jace grinned. “Stay here.” 

Lance watched Jace trek to the back of the cave then return with a bowl, which he set aside. He pulled Lance off the furs and tugged them around reshaping them, adding more furs to the pile before laying back on them.

“The men you were with, did they make you take them in your mouth?”

“Yes.”

“Show me. 

Lance crawled across the furs to Jace, taking him into his mouth then closing his eyes and sucking gently.

Jace threaded his fingers through Lance’s hair. “I need you to suck harder than that, baby. And stop when I tell you. I have to be hard to penetrate you. Understand?”

Lance opened his eyes then dropped Jace from his mouth long enough to nod while staring into Jace’s eyes. When he took Jace again, he followed Jace’s orders and sucked him until he was hard.

Jace then pulled Lance beside him. “Bring that bowl over here, baby.”

Lance obeyed, noting that the bowl smelled a little like meat, like the fat that Jace cooked off the meat.

Jace dipped his finger into the bowl and slicked his finger across Lance’s lips before kissing them. “We use this in the winter, when our lips get dry from the cold, but it’s good for other uses, too. Put some on your fingers, Lance. More than that. I want you to coat me with it, right there. Good.”

Lance figured the stroking part out himself. It was better with the fat. Slicker. Jace had to stop him before he went too far. When he was ready, Jace pulled Lance onto his lap.

“You have to relax, baby. Lean forward. That’s it, put your arms around my neck. There you go. Relax.” 

Jace had settled himself sitting back against the furs and had Lance on his lap, facing him, Lance’s knees next to Jace’s hips. “You need to sit down, baby, let me take all your weight. That’s it. Relax.”

Jace leaned around, dipping his fingers into the bowl. When he brought them back, he cupped Lance’s ass, giving it a firm squeeze. Lance’s head was resting on Jace’s shoulder.

“Breathe, baby. Relax,” Jace urged him. 

Lance gasped when Jace forced the first finger in. The slickness made it easier, but Lance still had to work to stay calm and relaxed. Jace worked him for a few minutes before adding a second finger and eventually the third. By then, Jace used his other hand to lift Lance’s mouth to him, using Chris’ ploy of distracting with deep kisses. When he withdrew his fingers, Jace used one hand to lift Lance’s hips, then the other to guide him down onto his hardened shaft. Lance gasped.

Jace’s words caressed Lance’s lips, “Relax, baby. You’re in control. Take what you want. Take what you need. Whenever you’re ready.”

Keeping his hands on Lance’s hips, Jace continued to guide Lance, but let him control the speed. Lance started slowly, but listened to Jace’s directions well. Soon he leaned back, his mouth dropping open as he moaned. Jace reached up, pulling him forward, leaning Lance’s head against his own. When he felt himself getting close, Jace clutched at Lance’s cock with his oiled hand, pumping quickly until they both came. Lance collapsed onto Jace, letting his entire body go limp. Smiling, Jace leaned over to lay down, bringing Lance with him.

Jace whispered hotly into Lance’s ear, “Was it good, baby?”

Lance was incapable of forming an intelligible word.


	16. Chapter 16

While the others were gone, Jace showed Lance how to cook, clean, form bowls and utensils, work on hides and clothing, and how to make wine from berries. Lance stuck close to Jace and learned quickly.

Whenever Chris and Joey took off on their hunting trips, Jace never knew how long they’d be away. Sometimes they were able to quickly track and kill their quarry, returning the same day they left, but other times they were gone for up to a week. 

Jace was only slightly surprised when he saw Joey and Chris trudging up the mountain path with another large buck being carried between them. Something was different though. Jace had to look again, studying their faces momentarily before he smiled as he ran to them. Chris and Joey had shaved off their beards. It was the first time Jace had seen their faces clean shaven. Jace gleefully rubbed his cheek against Chris’, kissed him then did the same to Joe as he cupped Joey’s jaw in his hand.

“You two look great. Amazing. Who knew I was screwing two such gorgeous guys?” Jace beamed. Then he noticed that Chris was barely smiling. The mischievous glint gone from his eyes. Joey was smiling, but it almost seemed half-hearted. Jace panicked looking around. “Where’s Justin? What happened?”

“He’s fine, Jace,” Joey assured him before Jace collapsed from hyperventilating. “Chris will tell you.”

After they dropped their load, Chris took Jace’s arm and led him back into the cave. As they were disappearing into the cave, Jace finally saw Justin dragging up the trail. He looked pale.

“What did you guys do to him?” Jace whispered.

“Jace, he was fine until we went in for the kill. The animals, they don’t always die right away. Sometimes they’re only wounded and you have to track them. Justin didn’t like that, tracking the buck when he was dying and watching him stagger around. Then when we killed the buck, Justin totally freaked out. He just started bawling and running. Joey stayed with the kill while I tracked down Justin. He said when we killed the buck, it had the same look in it’s eye as those boys that were sent away from his clan and returned. Remember? Justin said the men killed any boys who returned. Justin saw three of them, at least, killed or left dying as a warning to the younger boys that once they’re sent away, they are not to return. Justin is not going to be able to do this. We brought him back and we’re going to have to take Lance with us. You need to talk Lance into it. I know he’s afraid of me and Joey, but you have to convince him. I promise you, Jace, I promise we won’t hurt him and we won’t ditch him. Honest. We’ll take really good care of him. You already said he’s hunted before with his father, so he shouldn’t freak out.”

“He. We were together last night. He wanted to.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He’s inexperienced, but it was good.”

“We’ll take care of him. He’ll be just fine. Just. Convince him he needs to do this. And he needs to stick with us. We don’t want him to wander off.”

Jace nodded, then left the cave. He found Lance and Joey trying to settle the pale Justin. “Joey, maybe you should put him to bed,” suggested Jace. “Lance, we need to talk.”

Lance wasn’t happy at the prospect of being out with Chris and Joey, and away from Justin and Jace, for days. Jace hugged him and assured him it would be okay. Joey and Chris could teach him the skills they all needed him to learn. The most convincing part was when Jace told Lance that he and Justin needed the other guys to hunt for them, since they were both incapable of hunting for themselves. Lance wanted to be needed. 

The next morning, Chris and Joey set off again, this time with Lance. They were pleased to find that Lance knew more than a little about hunting and survival. He already knew how to navigate and how to track game. Mostly he just needed to fine tune his skills.

Justin was back to being himself the next day. Like Jace, Justin liked to sleep in. Once The others had left, Justin and Jace went back into the cave for a nap, waking up in each other’s arms. Justin leaned forward to kiss Jace, showing off the skills he had learned from Joey and Chris. Jace smiled. Justin had been a fast learner and he knew Lance would catch on. Snaking his arm around Justin, he pulled him in closer for another kiss, knowing they would have plenty of time before the rest of the group returned.

~~~ End ~~~  
12/18/03   
© 2003 by Jacie


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